Of Power and Youth
by Alexander Hunter
Summary: Danny has fought with Vlad countless times and always come out on top, now Vlad is finished playing around and the tables have turned in his favor. Danny/Vlad, intense, gore, violence, eventunal slash.
1. Chapter 1

Gasp! Am I really back? Could this be? Am I writing again? Blah blah fucking blah. I am back, got an urge to write, I need to finish off some fics, delete some not going anywhere, yak yak yak. I swear if one more person gives me a fucking dumbass review again, I will stop writing all together.

I hate fangirls, I really do, none of this "OMG! I LUV U!" it's all a load of crap and I hate it. Review, it does the heart good, but do it with proper grammar, constructive criticism, and with a purpose other than gushing about how wonderful or some shit like that I am or the fic is.

The first review I get that is pointless, this story is finished, so are all my other ones. I'm tired of underage, pre-pubescent little girls taking up my time with crap. If you're going to review, make it worth my while to read. By the way, if one more person starts telling me I'm mean/depressed, you obviously are an idiot, it doesn't matter what I'm like, just enjoy the story, it's actually pretty good. And since I know a lot of you aren't going to read this:

**WARNING****: Review only with ****proper grammar****, ****constructive criticism****, and ****with a purpose**** other than gushing about how wonderful I am or the fic is. If you do not obey this, this story is ****FINISHED FOREVER****.**

And to answer your questions, I am back, and planning on staying back if there's actually some intelligence out there. If you feel the sudden urge to yell at me about my behavior as if you are my mother or something, which you obviously aren't, do so in a private message. Reviews are meant to give an EDUCATED opinion on chapter, not criticize an author on their personality or behavior.

For those of you who are new, welcome, enjoy, follow the warning and ignore a majoirty of what I wrote above since you are obviously new to my world. Seriously, I love new people reading my fics, not so keen on the annoying ones that have stuck around awhile and tried to form some sort of a relationship with me.

* * *

"Come now!" Vlad roared with laughter as he floated over to hover near Danny, an amused look in his blood red eyes. "Surely you can do better than that, boy!" He cackled, pleased as Danny struggled to pull himself from a pile of debris; perhaps the boy had more fight in him yet.

Danny's eyes darkened as he stood, forcing himself from the wall Vlad had blasted him into. "Don't call me that," he growled, spitting out blood. "I AM NOT A BOY ANYMORE!" The half-ghost screamed and let loose the largest ecto-blast he had ever summoned in his life. The blast slammed dead into a stunned Vlad's chest, sending the older man into a wall of the crumbling building with a sickening crack.

Vlad laid there slumped, even as Danny approached, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and down his blue-grey skin from a large gash on his brow. He coughed, more blood flowing from his mouth, down his jaw, and did the last thing Danny expected him to. He locked eyes with the teen, and began to chuckle, then laugh, so hysterically that Danny could practically hear the man's broken ribs cracking and popping under the strain.

Once the laughter subsided, Vlad slowly made his way to his feet, rolling his shoulder, popping it back into place with a sickening crack. An evil look took over those blood red eyes and a smirk graced his lips, flashing pearly white fangs. "My turn."

Flashing another smirk, he whirled around, his cape swirling around him, and shot off three ecto-blasts twice the size of the one that struck him.

Danny yelped in surprise and barely managed to dodge the first two, the third slamming into his side, crushing several of his ribs and sending him spiraling to the ground. His vision blurred as he struggled to remain conscious, blood seeping from his head and pooling on the rough concrete, dust streaked across his face. With wild eyes, he watched as Vlad approached, unable to move or speak.

Vlad transformed back into his human form, elegantly keeping in step even as he dropped a foot to the ground, like a predatory cat slinky towards a free meal; pausing only momentarily to smooth back his perfect silver hair and brush some stray dust from his immaculate black suit. The older man looked at Danny, who struggled to stay in ghost form, streaks of black appearing in that snow-white hair, green eyes flashing to blue and back. "You may be almost 18 now, but you're still a boy, Daniel, remember that," he said coolly, gaze unwavering even as he struck the boy in the side of the head with his boot, the last straw sending the teen spiraling into darkness. "Remember that."

xXx

Danny woke with a groan and winced as a sharp pain made itself known in his head. "Where am I?" He slurred, forcing himself to ignore the pain and sat up, cracking open a blurry eye: his own room. "How did I get here?" Looking around with squinted eyes, he spied a folded piece of paper on his bedside table along with a bottle of water and two small pills, swiping the note up, he immediately groaned at the elegant script that lay inside, Vlad.

**_Daniel-_**

**_I took the liberty of returning you to your home and informing your parents that you had gotten into a bit of an accident, but will recover in due time with rest and peace and quite. I look forward to our next encounter; perhaps you will be able to keep up next time._**

**_V_**

"That bastard," Danny growled under his breath and looked suspiciously at the pills, they were not from his medicine cabinet nor his parents. Though it was against his better judgment, his instincts told him that the pills were safe, having learned through nearly four years of bitter battles not to doubt them; he tossed back the pills with some water, almost immediately feeling better. Time to tackle the day.

The pain was only slight but his muscles were stiff and sore, leaving him to wonder just how long he had been out. Struggling out of bed, he stripped off his nightshirt and pants, throwing on a pair of jeans, about to forgo a shirt until he caught sight of his bruised and beaten torso in the mirror. "May 3rd…I've been out for three days," he sighed as he looked at his cellphone before shoving it in his pocket.

Now fully dressed, he headed out of his room, intent on raiding the kitchen, only to stop dead at the top of the stairs when a familiar laugh sent shivers down his spine. 'No, not him, isn't it bad enough that he knocked me out for who knows how long? Now he has to be here right when I wake up?' Danny mentally sighed, hoping nobody had seen him as he turned on heel to go back to his room.

"Ah! Daniel! Feeling better I hope?" Vlad greeted from his position on the couch, pausing his conversation with Jack and Maddie. "I made crepes for your parents this morning, there should still be some left, help yourself," he smirked, his eyes holding an amused look.

Knowing that there was no way out of this, Danny turned back around and headed down the stairs, sending the smirking man the most loathing look he could muster. He stalked into the kitchen and threw open the fridge, purposely ignoring the fruit filled crepes that lay just within reach. Grabbing out a piece of leftover pizza, he slammed the fridge closed, jumping as it revealed Vlad, leaning causally against the doorjamb.

"How are you feeling, Daniel?" Vlad asked, the corner of his mouth twisting up in a smirk. "Not too terrible I hope."

"What do you want, Plasmius," Danny spat, taking an angry bite out of his pizza, eyes never leaving the older man as he sauntered over closer.

Vlad tsked, shaking his finger at the young man. "Is that anyway to talk to the man who saved your life?"

"You tried to kill me!" The younger of the two snapped back, anger flaring in his eyes. He let out a small yelp as Vlad grabbed him around the neck and slammed him up against the fridge.

"If I wanted you dead, boy, I would have killed you long ago. Don't think that just because I've gone easy on you, doesn't mean I don't have the power to tear you apart without even lifting a finger. What you saw was mere child's play," Vlad growled, lifting Danny off his feet by his neck, holding the boy there as he struggled. With a small laugh, he dropped the teen and headed back out into the living room.

Danny sat on the floor for sometime, his mind reeling. Vlad was definitely stronger than he thought, but why was the man only toying with him if he had all that power? Why didn't Vlad just kill him and his father so the man could marry Danny's mother? With a sigh, he stood; perhaps the best way to get answers would be to ask the man himself.

* * *

First chapter is finished. If you hadn't noticed, it's considerably different than my previous works, you know, actually good.

Heed the warning if you actually want this story finished.


	2. Chapter 2

Obviously, some of you did not understand my warning. I shall list a few examples of good and bad reviews that way you'll know what I'm talking about.

Yes, I am giving you a second chance, this is your last one, I'm rather liking the direction this story is taken and if you feel the same, think before you review.

_Yinlai 2009-04-03 . chapter 1_

_Well you caught attention!_

This is an example of a bad review. Obviously I have caught their attention, yet they neglect to explain why, how, or what did. The idea of a review is to REVIEW something, to look it over and explain certain points of it. Is that really hard to comprehend? Not to mention their grammar is atrocious. This person is either about as bright as a black hole or really doesn't want this story finished. Overall this review earns one star.

Some of you may be wondering why I am being so harsh to people reading my story. Well, a lot of them are complete idiots, end of story.

_.Love-XxXx 2009-04-03 . chapter 1_

_First of all, you don't criticize your own work. This is a bit different, but there's no need to say your previous work isn't good because it is._

_Second of all, I like your plot. I like it very very much. And it's making me very anxious for the next chapter._

_Third of all, it's rather weird how Danny's own parents don't greet him in the morning. At least that's what I think._

_Keep up the good work! :D_

This is an example of an Ok review, it does bring to mention something that isn't based in the story, but only briefly touches on it. The grammar is simply amazing and this person definitely has a good deal of intelligence. This review goes into detail on certain aspects that are good and also brings up some points of confusion or dismay. Overall this review earns 4 stars.

* * *

"Danny, are you feeling alright?" Maddie asked as Danny walked back into the living room, concern plastered on her face. She smiled in relief when Danny nodded, taking a seat on the couch as far away from Vlad as he could humanly get.

Vlad smirked at Danny's actions. "Daniel is just a little shaken from the accident, but I'm sure he will be right as rain in no time."

"Right you are V-Man! Nothing can keep a Fenton down for long!" Jack gloated, slapping a firm hand on Danny's shoulder, jolting the teen's still beaten body in a painful manner. Danny barely withheld a wince.

"So Vlad, how did you find me?" Danny asked, trying to dig Vlad into a hole. If he couldn't beat the man physically, at least he could try mentally.

"Well Daniel, I had just finished a conference with several new investors in my company. My limo passed the remains of an old torn down building and I saw you laying on the ground, part of the roof having collapsed on you as you were walking by, it was just dreadful," Vlad said, faux concern lacing his words like venom. His face held a look of concern, but his deep azure eyes held his smirk.

Maddie gasped and quickly hugged Vlad. "It must have been terrible for you to have found him like that, I know you think of him almost like a son," she cooed, patting Vlad gently on the back.

Danny growled under his breath as he watched Vlad hug Maddie back, a smug look on the man's face. "I'm going to go call Sam and Tucker and let them know I'm okay," he said, clenching his teeth as Vlad slowly released his mother.

"Alright Danny, but be careful if you go out!" His mother called as he rushed up the stairs, barely containing his anger.

"Yes, Daniel, be careful; I don't want to find you like that again!" Vlad added, his voice dripping in sarcasm only Danny could hear.

Slamming his door shut he fell to his bed, yanking off his shirt. When he was a young teen, he had a strong dislike of his body as many young boys do, but as he grew, now nearly 18, he began to grow into himself, now his chest was hard and solid, well toned from years of fighting ghosts and saving lives. This development also lead to him disliking shirts, whenever he could get away with it, he refused to wear one entirely.

"Hey Sam, I'm up, wanna get Tucker and head over here? I need to get the hell out of here," he said when Sam answered her cell, giving a sigh of relief when she said they would be over immediately.

xXx

"…So he just showed up, out of the blue, and started a fight?" Tucker asked as they walked down the street, heading to their favorite coffee shop.

"Well, no, not really. He just showed up and gave his 'Oh I'm so great and evil' speech. I started the fight," Danny confessed. He had thrown the first punch, but only because Vlad provoked him. "But only because he was provoking me!" He quickly defended, frowning when Sam began to laugh.

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and noticed that the two boys were staring at her as if she grew a second head. "Isn't it obvious? Vlad was trying to start that fight. Why else would he just show up like that?"

"That bastard!" Danny yelled, his eyes flashing bright green as his anger got away from him. "What is his problem!? I hate him!" He roared, power exploding from his body, knocking Sam and Tucker back a few steps.

"Well Daniel, is that anyway to talk about someone who has done so much for you? And offers you even more?" Vlad laughed, materializing through the wall beside them, still in human form.

Danny growled; fists clenching at his sides so tight his fingernails left crescent cuts in his palms. "What do you want?" He spat, barely keeping himself from punching in that smug face.

"Do I need an excuse to check on my best friend's only son?" The older man smirked, taking a step back into the alleyway and shifting into Plasmius. "I mean honestly Daniel, do you even think you're a match for me right now? You could hardly handle yourself last time, in perfect health no less."

"Get out of here," Danny growled at Sam and Tucker, running at Vlad before they could protest. His arm reared back in a punch, going ghost moments before he let it fly, right for the smirking man's face.

Vlad easily dodged the punch, smirk still plastered on his face. He swiftly moved from side to side, occasionally ducking, each and every one of Danny's punches missing. The older man's movements were elegant and fluid, almost as if he were dancing. "Honestly boy, try a little harder."

"AHHHH!" Danny yelled, anger exploding inside him. "I HATE YOU!" He screamed, his fist finally meeting it's target and slamming into Vlad's jaw sending him flying backwards. He slammed into the side of a dumpster, twisting and warping the metal around him like a cage.

"That's it, get angry. How much do you hate me, Daniel?" Vlad asked, leering at the angry halfa as he pried himself free from the metal prison. This time as Danny's fist rushed toward him, he caught it mid-air, surprising the teen. "What makes you hate me?" He asked, crushing and twisting the teen's fist until Danny fell to his knees. "Are you jealous of my power? Do you yearn for this, Daniel? Do you crave it? Or maybe, just maybe, you really don't hate me that much at all."

Danny grabbed at his arm, face contorting in pain as his hand was crushed in Vlad's. He fought through the pain the best he could, trying to regain his anger, his hatred. As Vlad leaned in close to him and whispered something small, so quiet he could barely make it out himself, his eyes snapped open. Thrusting his arm up, he managed to get free. Before the older man had time to react, he let loose a massive ghostly wail, forcing all of his hate, his anger, his frustration, and his…confusion into that one attack.

Vlad immediately threw up his arms and braced his legs. As the wail hit him, he slid backwards down the alley, heels digging into the soiled gravel. He held tight, arms aching only slightly under the strain. When the attack finally ended, he lowered his arms, standing up high and straight. "Not bad Daniel, not bad at all. But I can do so much better."

"Wha-?" Was all Danny managed to get out before he watched in horror as Vlad let out a massive ghostly wail, the pink energy slamming into him with such might it blasted huge tears in his jumpsuit before slamming him into a very solid brick wall. As the energy subsisted, he slid down the wall, the rough brick ripping away at his jumpsuit and exposed back, leaving a bloody smear in his wake.

"H-how did you get that power? You've n-never had it before," he choked, looking up at the smug man. Stumbling slightly as he forced himself to his feet, he barely put up a fight as Vlad lifted him off his feet by his neck.

"Oh there are lots of things you don't know about me, Daniel. Perhaps you would like to find out a few more," Vlad smirked, leaning in until he was just a breath away from Danny. Suddenly, he shoved the teen against the wall he had just slid down, forcing him up until Vlad's mouth was hovering just over a gash in his suit. And then the older man sunk those fangs deep into his flesh, making him scream in pain. Pulling away, he dropped Danny, blood red eyes dancing with laughter and arrogance, lips stained to match. "Now you have another reason to hate me. Oh, and you won't turn into a vampire by nightfall, Daniel, in case you were wondering." And with that, off he flew.

Danny stumbled to his feet, his body felt like it was on fire. It took him three tries before he was finally able to make it into the air to fly home, hoping that Sam and Tucker were there waiting.

xXx

"He…he whispered in my ear 'Maybe you want to be just like me' and I snapped," Danny said as he lay across his bed, Sam cleaning the deep scrapes across his back. "And guys, he has ghostly wail too and it's so much stronger than mine. It slammed me into a wall ten feet from the ground, and then he grabbed me by my throat and then…he…bit me…"

"Whoa! He bit you!?" Tucker gapped, his jaw going slack when Danny rolled over to reveal the vicious looking bite mark on his chest, just to the right of his left nipple. "Why?"

"He said 'Now you have another reason to hate me', whatever that's supposed to mean," Danny sighed and let out a sharp hiss as Sam poured rubbing alcohol on the bite, cleaning out the wound. "Like I need another reason."

* * *

Longer chapter. The bite was COMPLETELY NON-SEXUAL.


	3. Chapter 3

Most of you seem to understand what makes a proper review now, however, a few of you aren't quite getting it, so I shall leave it up for popular opinion whether they simple hate this story or whether they're just complete and utter morons.

_Yinlai 2009-04-04 . chapter 2_

_I have say, this chapter is making me more intrigued._

If you haven't noticed, this is a repeat offender. I actually received a PM from this person saying that they knew there was a mistype on this review; they really seem to think that's why I made an example out of them. What they don't seem to grasp is the whole meaning of review. I'll make this simple: Stop reviewing unless you add detail, do you really think I care if I caught your interest?

_animehphantom 2009-04-04 . chapter 2_

_write more!_

This too is a repeat offender, I didn't make an example of them last time, and maybe I should have. Do you honestly think that I care that you want me to write more? As if your pathetic pleas for me to write will somehow spur me on.

* * *

Danny absently rubbed at the bandaged bite through his shirt as he ate dinner silently with his family. They talked amongst themselves, having ceased any attempt to pull him into the conversation after he brushed off at least twenty of them.

His family had grown to understand that he was no longer a boy anymore and no longer wished to be treated as such. Maddie no longer gushed about his safety, Jack hardly ever tried to force him into ghost hunting, and Jazz stopped trying to protect him. They saw him now as a man, but for some reason, this fact did not comfort him, they were not the one he wanted to see him as a man. No, that person had to be Vladimir Masters, of all people.

Confusion must have shown on his face because Jazz immediately piped up, she may have stopped trying to protect him, but that didn't stop her from butting in every chance she got. "What's wrong, Danny? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking," he said, quickly trying to shut this conversation down. He definitely did not need Jazz bugging him on top of Vlad kicking the shit out of him almost daily. "Boobs, there, now you don't have to ask." And with that, he got up and left.

Maddie sighed and picked at her food. "He seems so distant now that he's grown up, I miss my little Danny."

"I know how you feel Maddie. But he needs to be able to be himself. He can't do that with us breathing down his neck like we used to," Jack said, patting his wife gently on the back.

xXx

Once in his room, Danny flopped down on his bed, letting out a sharp hiss as his back hit the mattress. Why couldn't he get Vlad out of his head? He hated the man! He was always there doing something evil, bothering Danny, fighting him. The man just needed to leave him alone.

Practically leaping from his bed, he opened his window, going ghost. He leapt out; perhaps a nice fly would help clear his mind.

A smile grew on his face as the cool air rushed past him. There was nothing like the sensation of flying. His thoughts, concerns, worries, everything just seemed to melt away as he rose over the town, clouds kissing his face with tiny ice crystals.

"Isn't it a lovely evening, Daniel?" A familiar voice asked, making Danny whip his head around to see Vlad floating on his side, as if he was lying on a cloud. "The moon, the stars, simply romantic. I do believe your mother would agree with me," he smirked, rolling over on to his stomach in a playful way.

"I'm not in the mood today, Vlad. Just leave me alone," Danny growled as he watched Vlad play with a bit of the cloud he was on, manipulating the icy crystals, making it form into a sculpture. Trying his best to hide it, he watched with interest as the older man gently worked with the delicate sculpture. At first he couldn't figure out what it was, but slowly realization spread across his face, Vlad was sculpting his mother. "You're sick!"

Vlad just smirked and gently blew on the delicate piece of work and it shifted from Maddie, to Danny himself. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Daniel. I'm merely passing the time. There, much better," he cooed, and with a few soft caresses, Cloud Danny now sported a goatee. "I think you should grow a goatee. They tend to make you look more like a man and less like a pathetic little boy."

"Just stop it!" Daniel yelled, making Vlad only falter slightly in his task of giving Cloud Danny a body. "I'm sick and tired of you always being there! LEAVE ME ALONE!" He screamed, hatred and frustration dripping like venom from his words.

Vlad looked up at the angry teen and sighed, having almost completed a second, larger icy art piece. "Very well, Daniel." He said calmly and blew lightly on the second figure, the ice crystals dancing and shimmering in the pale moonlight. Without looking back, he flew off towards his home, leaving Danny alone in the cool night.

"Finally," Danny sighed in relief, floating in place as his anger melted from his body, eyes sliding closed as his head hung. After a few moments, he lifted his head and looked where Vlad had been sculpting, and much to his amazement, Cloud Danny now had a friend, the figure stood tall and proud next to his icy-rendition, a hand on the other's shoulder in a fatherly gesture. Looking at the face, he watched intently as the last little crystal landed in place, it was Vlad.

A stricken look swam onto Danny's face and he just stayed there. Deep into the night he floated there, staring at the beautiful artwork, the expressions on their faces seemed so real. Cloud Danny was smiling, a happy light shimmering in those eyes, and Cloud Vlad looked so proud of the boy his hand rested on.

It was almost as if he was entranced by them, their happy, content looks, a feeling he yearned for deep inside. He stared at them even as a slight breeze blew past, taking them away into oblivion forever.

* * *

This still remains entirely non-sexual.


	4. Chapter 4

I am quite happy right now, at the time of writing this, I have received no moronic reviews. In fact, most of the reviews I have been given are four stars or higher.

Congratulations, I have hopefully whittled out my idiotic fans and kept the intelligent ones, those of you I have yet to verbally tear apart are the smart ones. And if you are on this list because you haven't reviewed, at least you were smart enough to realize you were an idiot.

Though, Yinlai and Animephantom: I hate you both until further notice; you are the only ones not getting it. Feel free to flame me on that, I really don't care.

* * *

It had been days since Danny had yelled at Vlad in the clouds, and there was still no sign of the man anywhere. The image of those beautiful cloud sculptures haunted his dreams in the most confusing way. In the most vivid dream he had, they had come to life, dancing and flying through the sky together, so happy and warm in the rays of the sun, leaving the real Danny floating where he had been for so long, alone and cold in the dark of night.

"It must be great not having Vlad around or anything," Sam said as they all piled into the auditorium for a "special" guest speaker.

"Yeah, it is nice not having that fruit loop around anymore," Danny confirmed, sliding his arms behind his head as they relaxed in a couple of chairs. The auditorium was dark and filled only with the quiet hum of chatter as the principal stood on the stage giving a short speech. It was easy for him to slowly drift off to a light sleep.

As he drifted off, visions of dancing clouds swirled in his mind, a small smile creeping across his face as bliss took hold. He remained in this wondrous state, high above the clouds, until a familiar voice ripped him back into reality. Eyes snapping open and head coming up so fast it startled Sam and Tucker, he saw Vlad standing now behind the podium, looking out over the crowd.

"Your principal has invited me here to talk to you about what it means to be successful," Vlad explained, wadding up several pieces of paper into a ball and tossing it over his shoulder. "That was my speech by the way," he said and gave his million-dollar smile, Danny could practically hear everyone in the room swooning and was more than surprised when he wasn't swept away in a rush of drool and lady spunk.

Danny's eyes hardened, a glare in the ready as Vlad's eyes scanned the crowd, but instead of locking eyes with him, he was simply ghosted over like everyone else. And for some reason, that pissed him off more than if he had locked eyes and been met with that smirk. "He's up to something," he seethed as he was once again looked over, his mind was practically screaming 'LOOK AT ME!'

"He's not doing anything, he's just ignoring you like you wanted him to," Tucker said, confused. Vlad was just giving a speech on what it meant to be successful.

"Exactly, he never ignores me," Danny growled, determination flaring across his face as it was revealed that "Mr. Masters was going to stay on school grounds until the end of the day to speak to the students one on one". As they all filed out of the auditorium, he cast a glance back and was infuriated when he was ignored in favor of a giddy young girl.

From that moment, Danny did he best to constantly run into Vlad, who just ignored him each and every time, as if he didn't exist. The man tactfully avoided anything he said, he had even gone as far as standing in front of Vlad, who just casually walked around him.

By lunch he was furious. How dare Vlad, of all people, ignore him! He did not like being ignored especially by the man who lavished attention on him constantly.

"Isn't this what you wanted? For him to leave you alone?" Sam asked as she watched Danny angrily stab at his food.

"No!" Danny snapped, eyes flaring bright green before he realized what he had said. "Yes! I don't know!" He yelled and shoved away from the table abruptly, storming from the room leaving his friends stunned.

He ripped through the halls like a bat out of hell, determined to find Vlad. When he spied the man, he was being chatted up by a junior girl, his azure eyes dull with boredom but a faux interested smile on his lips.

"You bastard!" Danny yelled, shoving the girl out of the way as he grabbed hold of the lapels on Vlad's suit and slammed the man back hard against the lockers. "Stop ignoring me!"

Vlad smirked and looked down into those angry blue eyes. "But Daniel, I'm only doing what you asked me to. You told me to leave you alone, and I did; now you're telling me to stop, and I will. Soon you'll tell me to stay away from you, and I will, and then you'll come find me and yell at me once more for doing just what you asked," he said as he carefully disengaged himself from Danny's hold. "I go out of my way to comply with your wishes each and every time, even though you have no idea what you really want."

Danny sputtered as he was gently pushed away and side stepped. "W-why?"

"That is a question I have no answer to," Vlad replied softly, slowly moving towards the teen who immediately took a step back for each of his forward until Danny was pressed firmly back against the lockers. Raising his hand, he gently tapped the new black scruff decorating the teen's chin. "You look more like a man already, now act like one."

Danny watched, stunned, as Vlad calmly walked away. The man's words stung and soothed all at the same time. As the shock wore off, determination took hold, he would prove that he was no longer a boy, if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Uh…yeah…nothing really to say…


End file.
